1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system, apparatus, method and computer program product for capturing an image of the roentgenogram film, and more particularly, to a system, apparatus, method and computer program product for capturing an image of the roentgenogram film to produce a digital image data to display the roentgenogram image on the screen.
2. Description of the Related Art
The roentgenogram film of patient""s body is available for the medical examination of the patient. It is necessary for the hospital to prepare a large medical record room enough to store an enormous amount of the roentgenogram films therein. However, there is a physical limit of the capacity of this room in the hospital. For this reason, the older roentgenogram films should be discarded after a predetermined legal obligated storage duration has been elapsed.
When the doctor examines the patient, the doctor may instruct the nurse to go searching the medical record room for the roentgenogram film corresponding to the patient to retrieve the corresponding film from the enormous amount of the roentgenogram films. This is a terrible troublesome work.
In order to solve this problem, there has been proposed a microfilm system for reducing a plurality of roentgenogram films in size to record the miniature images of the roentgenogram films on a microfilm roll. Such manner of using the microfilm, however, remains also a physical limit of the capacity of the room for containing a number of microfilm rolls. Although the microfilm is suitable to record a large number of images of the roentgenogram films thereon, it is difficult to exactly relate the large number of the roentgenogram images in the microfilm with the corresponding patients.
This work spends time and effort. Moreover, it is necessary to more spend time and effort on searching the microfilm for the desired roentgenogram image. Even if the desired roentgenogram image can be found fortunately, the miniature images of the roentgenogram films on the microfilm roll should be converted into the visible form.
Recently, there has been proposed a digital X-ray image capturing system for directly capturing an X-ray image to produce a digital image data. However, it is difficult to generally spread such digital X-ray image capturing system because the digital X-ray image capturing system is incompatible with the conventional computer network system comprising a typical X-ray capturing apparatus, a roentgenogram film projector, a host computer, and a plurality of terminals linked with the host computer through a network, in the hospital. These devices of the conventional system in the whole hospital therefore should be discarded and replaced with those of the new digital X-ray image capturing system. This is unreasonably expensive.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a roentgenogram image capturing apparatus for capturing a roentgenogram image to produce a digital image data and systematically store a large amount of the digital image data in a storage device to display the image on the screen thereby making it possible to save space for the preservation of a large number of roentgenogram films. The roentgenogram image capturing apparatus thus constructed can search for the desired roentgenogram image with ease. Furthermore, unlike the roentgenogram films, the digital image data on the roentgenogram image can be prevented from deteriorating thereby making it possible to keep the roentgenogram for a long time. Moreover, the roentgenogram image capturing apparatus can be constructed without investment in new peculiar equipment, such as a new expensive digital X-ray image capturing system, thereby making it possible to cut costs.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a roentgenogram image capturing method of capturing a roentgenogram image to produce a digital image data and systematically store a large amount of the digital image data in a storage device to display the image on the screen thereby making it possible to save space for the preservation of a large number of roentgenogram films. In the roentgenogram image capturing method, the desired roentgenogram image can be retrieved from the storage device with ease. Furthermore, unlike the roentgenogram films, the digital image data on the roentgenogram image can be prevented from deteriorating thereby making it possible to keep the roentgenogram for a long time. Moreover, the roentgenogram image capturing method can cut costs because no need to invest in new peculiar equipment, such as a new expensive digital X-ray image capturing system.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a computer program product for capturing a roentgenogram image to produce a digital image data and systematically store a large amount of the digital image data in a storage device to display the image on the screen thereby making it possible to save space for the preservation of a large number of roentgenogram films. The computer program product can search for the desired roentgenogram image with ease. Furthermore, unlike the roentgenogram films, the digital image data on the roentgenogram image can be prevented from deteriorating thereby making it possible to keep the roentgenogram for a long time. Moreover, the computer program product can cut costs because no need to invest in new peculiar equipment, such as a new expensive digital X-ray image capturing system.
It is a yet further object of the present invention to provide a roentgenogram image capturing system for capturing a roentgenogram image to produce a digital image data and systematically store a large amount of the digital image data in a storage device to display the image on the screen thereby making it possible to save space for the preservation of a large number of roentgenogram films. The roentgenogram image capturing system thus constructed can search for the desired roentgenogram image with ease. Furthermore, unlike the roentgenogram films, the digital image data on the roentgenogram image can be prevented from deteriorating thereby making it possible to keep the roentgenogram for a long time. Moreover, the roentgenogram image capturing system can cut costs and save space for the preservation of a large number of roentgenogram films. Moreover, the computer program product can cut costs because no need to invest in new peculiar equipment, such as a new expensive digital X-ray image capturing system.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a roentgenogram image capturing apparatus for capturing a roentgenogram image, comprising: a film projector having a front panel for holding a roentgenogram film of a predetermined part of patient""s body thereon, for projecting the roentgenogram image of the roentgenogram film on the front panel; an image capturing unit disposed in face-to-face relationship with and spaced apart from at a predetermined distance the front panel of the film projector, for capturing the roentgenogram image projected on the front panel of the film projector to produce a digital image data on the roentgenogram image in accordance with a photography instruction; and an image processing unit for processing the digital image data. The image processing unit has: (a) transmitting means for sending the photography instruction to the image capturing unit and receiving the digital image data from the image capturing unit; (b) displaying means for displaying the roentgenogram image on a predetermined roentgenogram viewer screen on the basis of the digital image data; (c) a storage device capable of storing therein the digital image data on a plurality of the roentgenogram images; and (d) identifying means for identifying the digital image data on the plurality of the roentgenogram images with the patients by corresponding respective identifiers to sort the plurality of the digital image data by the patient to store the sorted digital image data in the storage device.
In the above roentgenogram image capturing apparatus, the image processing unit may be disposed near to the film projector. Moreover, the image processing unit further has selecting means for selecting one from among the plurality of patients, and retrieving means for retrieving the digital image data on the roentgenogram image on the basis of the identifier corresponding to the selected patient. The image processing unit is operable to have the displaying means display thereon the roentgenogram image on the basis of the digital image data retrieved by the retrieving means. Moreover, the identifying means of the image processing unit is operable to identify parts of the patient""s body with predetermined identifiers.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a roentgenogram image capturing method of capturing a roentgenogram image, comprising the steps of:
(a) preparing a film projector having a front panel for holding a roentgenogram film of a predetermined part of patient""s body thereon, for projecting the roentgenogram image of the roentgenogram film on the front panel, and an image capturing unit disposed in face-to-face relationship with and spaced apart from at a predetermined distance the front panel of the film projector, for capturing the roentgenogram image projected on the front panel of the film projector to produce a digital image data on the roentgenogram image in accordance with a photography instruction;
(b) sending the photography instruction to the image capturing unit;
(c) making the image capturing unit produce the digital image data on the roentgenogram image in response to the photography instruction;
(d) receiving the digital image data from the image capturing unit;
(e) displaying the roentgenogram image on a predetermined roentgenogram viewer screen on the basis of the digital image data;
(f) identifying the digital image data on the plurality of the roentgenogram images with the patients by corresponding respective identifiers to sort the plurality of the digital image data by the patient; and
(g) storing the sorted digital image data in a predetermined storage device.
The above roentgenogram image capturing method may further comprise the steps of disposing the image processing unit near to the film projector, and making the image processing unit perform the steps (b), and (d) to (g).
The above roentgenogram image capturing method may further comprise the steps of:
(b) selecting one from among the plurality of patients; and
(i) retrieving the digital image data on the roentgenogram image on the basis of the identifier corresponding to the selected patient, wherein the step (e) having the step of displaying thereon the roentgenogram image on the basis of the digital image data retrieved in the step (i). Moreover, the step (f) may have the step of identifying parts of the patient""s body with predetermined identifiers.
In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having computer readable code embodied therein for capturing a roentgenogram image projected on a roentgenogram film projector having a front panel for holding a roentgenogram film of a predetermined part of patient""s body thereon, for projecting the roentgenogram image of the roentgenogram film on the front panel, the front panel of the roentgenogram film projector being disposed in face-to-face relationship with and spaced apart from an image processing unit at a predetermined distance, the image processing unit for capturing the roentgenogram image projected on the front panel of the film projector to produce a digital image data on the roentgenogram image in accordance with a photography instruction, wherein the computer readable code comprising:
a first program product code for sending the photography instruction to the image capturing unit;
a second program product code for receiving the digital image data from the image capturing unit;
a third program product code for displaying the roentgenogram image on a predetermined roentgenogram viewer screen on the basis of the digital image data;
a fourth program product code for identifying the digital image data on the plurality of the roentgenogram images with the patients by corresponding respective identifiers to sort the plurality of the digital image data by the patient; and
a fifth program product code for storing the sorted digital image data in a predetermined storage device.
The above computer readable code may further comprise: a sixth program product code for selecting one from among the plurality of patients; and a seventh program product code for retrieving the digital image data on the roentgenogram image on the basis of the identifier corresponding to the selected patient. The third program product code may further has a program product code for displaying thereon the roentgenogram image on the basis of the digital image data retrieved by the seventh program product code. Moreover, the fourth program product code may has a program product code for identifying parts of the patient""s body with predetermined identifiers.
In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a roentgenogram image capturing system for capturing a roentgenogram image, comprising: a host computer, at least a roentgenogram image capturing apparatus linked with each other through a predetermined network, for capturing the roentgenogram image to produce a digital image data on the roentgenogram image; a storage device linked with the host computer and the roentgenogram image capturing apparatus and capable of storing therein a plurality of the digital image data on the roentgenogram images; transmitting means for transmitting the digital image data on the roentgenogram image from the roentgenogram image capturing apparatus to the storing means through the network, thereby making it possible to share the digital image data on the roentgenogram image between the host computer and the roentgenogram image capturing apparatus; and displaying means for displaying the roentgenogram image on a predetermined roentgenogram viewer screen on the basis of the digital image data.
The aforesaid roentgenogram image capturing apparatus may have: a film projector having a front panel for holding a roentgenogram film of a predetermined part of patient""s body thereon, for projecting the roentgenogram image of the roentgenogram film on the front panel; an image capturing unit disposed in face-to-face relationship with and spaced apart from at a predetermined distance the front panel of the film projector, for capturing the roentgenogram image projected on the front panel of the film projector to produce a digital image data on the roentgenogram image in accordance with a photography instruction; and an image processing unit for processing the digital image data. The image processing unit of the roentgenogram image capturing apparatus may have: transmitting means for sending the photography instruction to the image capturing unit and receiving the digital image data from the image capturing unit; and identifying means for identifying the digital image data on the plurality of the roentgenogram images with the patients by corresponding respective identifiers to sort the plurality of the digital image data by the patient to store the sorted digital image data in the storage device.
The above roentgenogram image capturing system may further comprise: selecting means for selecting one from among the plurality of patients; and retrieving means for retrieving the digital image data on the roentgenogram image on the basis of the identifier corresponding to the selected patient from the storage device. The displaying means may be operated to display thereon the roentgenogram image on the basis of the digital image data retrieved by the retrieving means.
The storage device is capable of storing a medical record information to be shared between the host computer and the roentgenogram image capturing apparatus.
The aforesaid roentgenogram image capturing system may further comprise a terminal computer linked with the host computer through the network, the terminal computer having displaying means for displaying the roentgenogram image on the basis of the shared digital image data on a predetermined roentgenogram viewer screen.
The above identifying means of the image processing unit of the roentgenogram image capturing apparatus is operable to identify parts of the patient""s body with predetermined identifiers.